Method of power transmission

ABSTRACT

A signal for supplying power and a signal for transmitting information are transmitted suitably. A method for transmitting a signal to a power transmission path includes: a first step of disposing a first power transmission path and a second power transmission path; a second step of attaching a predetermined process device, being detachable, between the first power transmission path and the second power transmission path such that an input terminal of the predetermined process device is in contact with the first power transmission path and that an output terminal of the predetermined process device is in contact with the second power transmission path; and a third step of supplying an input signal to the first power transmission path and outputting, to the second power transmission path, an output signal obtained by performing a predetermined process on the input signal by the predetermined process device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-021135filed with the Japan Patent Office on Feb. 15, 2022, the entire contentsof which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a power transmission method fortransmitting a signal to a power transmission path.

BACKGROUND

For power transmission of a signal in a power transmission path, manymethods of power transmission have been developed depending on what typeof signal the signal is. For example, in the case of transmitting asignal related to power, WO 2018/021534 discloses a technique forsmoothing an output current in a power transmission path as much aspossible. Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-115173discloses a technique for suitably adjusting an output voltage of asignal in a power transmission path. Moreover, Japanese UnexaminedPatent Publication No. 2017-184398 discloses a technique for easilychanging the configuration of a system for power transmission.

In the power transmission of the signal in the power transmission path,for example, from a viewpoint of safety such as electric shockprevention, a viewpoint of signal quality such as prevention ofsuperimposition of noise on the signal, and the like, variousimprovements are often made in the transmission lines. On the otherhand, the degree of freedom in the formation of the power transmissionpath may be limited when such an improvement is attempted in the powertransmission of the signal. When the degree of freedom in forming thepower transmission path is limited, the size and length of the powertransmission path may become excessively large, and as a result, thesituation will not necessarily be favorable in terms of safety andsignal quality.

SUMMARY

The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and it isan object of the present invention to provide a technique for suitablytransmitting a signal for supplying electric power and a signal fortransmitting information.

A power transmission method according to one aspect of the presentdisclosure is a method for transmitting a signal to a power transmissionpath, the method including: a first step of disposing a first powertransmission path and a second power transmission path; a second step ofattaching a predetermined process device, being detachable, between thefirst power transmission path and the second power transmission pathsuch that an input terminal of the predetermined process device is incontact with the first power transmission path and that an outputterminal of the predetermined process device is in contact with thesecond power transmission path; and a third step of supplying an inputsignal to the first power transmission path and outputting, to thesecond power transmission path, an output signal obtained by performinga predetermined process on the input signal by the predetermined processdevice.

The power transmission method is a method for transmitting an arbitrarysignal to a power transmission path. The signal is not limited to asignal of a specific form, and examples thereof include a signal forsupplying power and a signal for transmitting information. The powertransmission method enables suitable power transmission of the signal inthe power transmission path based on physical characteristics of thesignal, such as voltage, frequency, and power amount. In the first step,the first power transmission path and the second power transmission paththrough which the signal is transmitted are disposed, but the form ofthe first power transmission path and the second power transmission pathis not limited to a specific form, and various forms can be employed aslong as the predetermined process device can be attached in the secondstep.

For example, in the first step, a plurality of bus components may beprepared, the bus components each including a base member, and a firstenergization path and a second energization path that are formed toextend from one edge to the other edge of a set of opposing edges of thebase member. An edge of one of the bus components may be brought intocontact with an edge of another of the bus components to couple both ofthe bus components to each other, and the first energization path andthe second energization path in one of the bus components and the firstenergization path and the second energization path in another of the buscomponents may be connected to form the first power transmission pathand the second power transmission path.

The bus component includes a base member, and at least two types ofenergization paths of a first energization path and a secondenergization path. The energization path forms a part of a powertransmission path through which a signal is finally transmitted. It ispreferable that the base member be basically formed of an insulatingmember so as to realize transmission of a signal in each energizationpath. The base member is not limited to a specific shape, but when eachenergization path included in the base member is used as a reference,the base member has a set of edges made up of one edge including one endof each energization path and the other edge including the other end ofeach energization path. The set of edges may be located on the sameplane or may be located on different planes. For example, in a casewhere the set of edges of the base member are located on the same plane,the shape of the plane may be a polygonal shape including a quadrangle,or alternatively, the set of edges may be formed in a curved shape.Also, the set of edges need not necessarily be parallel. In a case whereone set of edges are located on different planes in the base member, aform can be exemplified in which the base member is three-dimensionallyformed, and one end and the other end of each energization path areexposed to different surfaces of the base member by the energizationpath passing through the inside of the base member. In either case,there is no intention to interpret the shape of the base member in thepresent application to be limited to a specific shape.

In the bus component, one bus component and another bus component areconfigured to be able to be coupled such that the edges of therespective base members are in contact with each other. Then, in a statewhere one bus component is coupled to another bus component in thismanner, the end of the first energization path in one bus component andthe end of the first energization path in another bus component areconnected to form a first power transmission path, and the end of thesecond energization path in one bus component and the end of the secondenergization path in another bus component are connected to form asecond power transmission path. That is, as a result of coupling the onebus component and another bus component such that the one edge includingthe one end of each energization path in the one bus component and theother edge including the other end of each energization path in anotherbus component are in contact with each other, each energization path isconnected to finally form the first power transmission path and thesecond power transmission path. In the formation of the first powertransmission path and the second power transmission path, it issufficient that the ends of the respective energization paths connectedto the respective edges are in electrical contact with each other, andthe edge of one bus component and the edge of another bus component neednot be in contact with each other so as to completely coincide with eachother over the entire region.

By sequentially coupling the bus components using the bus componentconfigured as described above such that the edges of the bus componentsare in contact with each other, it is possible to form a powertransmission path having a necessary length For example, the moredevices that receive signals via a power transmission path, the more buscomponents may be coupled to ensure space for connection between thedevices and the power transmission path. Although an energization pathis formed in each of the coupled bus components, the energization pathsin the respective bus components need not have the same shape. In orderto form the necessary shapes and lengths of the first power transmissionpath and the second power transmission path, bus components withdifferent energization paths formed therein may be combined and coupledappropriately.

Then, in the power transmission method of the present application, afterthe first power transmission path and the second power transmission pathare disposed and formed in the first step, a predetermined processdevice is attached between the first power transmission path and thesecond power transmission path. That is, the attachment of thepredetermined process device is performed later with reference to theplacement of the first power transmission path and the second powertransmission path. The predetermined process device is a deviceconfigured to be input to the device from the first power transmissionpath via the input terminal, perform a predetermined process on thesignal in the device, and output the signal to the second powertransmission path via the output terminal. An example of thepredetermined process device can be a voltage conversion device(so-called converter). That is, in the power transmission method, thepredetermined process device may be configured to perform a voltageconversion process as the predetermined process on a signal input to theinput terminal, and in the third step, the voltage conversion processmay be performed on the input signal, supplied to the first powertransmission path, by the predetermined process device, and the voltageof the second power transmission path may be adjusted to a predeterminedvoltage using the output signal.

As another method of the predetermined process device, when a signalrelated to information (data) is transmitted to the first powertransmission path, the predetermined process device is used as anamplification device (so-called amplifier device), so that thepredetermined process device can be retrofitted to easily output anamplified signal to the second power transmission path. Thepredetermined process device is not limited to these examples, and thesignal process content in the predetermined process device may bedefined in consideration of the characteristic of the signal output tothe second power transmission path.

In order to simplify the retrofitting of the predetermined processdevice to the first power transmission path and the second powertransmission path, an electrical connection state is formed by employinga structure in which the input terminal and the output terminal of thedevice are in contact with the respective power transmission paths. Forretrofitting the predetermined process device, it is preferable to use aknown fixing technique (e.g., snap-type fixing method, screw fixingmethod, etc.) in order to stably maintain the contact of the inputterminal and the output terminal with the respective power transmissionpaths.

Then, in the third step, a signal is input to the predetermined processdevice via the first power transmission path, and the signal subjectedto the predetermined process in the device is output to the second powertransmission path. As described above, in the power transmission method,by employing the configuration in which the predetermined process deviceis retrofitted to the first power transmission path and the second powertransmission path, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom ofthe configuration of the entire power transmission path for transmittinga signal, and thereby to suitably transmit a signal for supplying powerand a signal for transmitting information.

Further, in the power transmission method described above, in the firststep, the first power transmission path and the second powertransmission path may be disposed on the same plane, and in the secondstep, the predetermined process device may be attached so as to straddlethe first power transmission path and the second power transmissionpath. Alternatively, in the first step, the first power transmissionpath and the second power transmission path are disposed on differentplanes, and in the second step, the predetermined process device isattached so as to be sandwiched between the first power transmissionpath and the second power transmission path. The form of attachment ofthe predetermined process device is not limited to these forms, and aform that can be retrofitted to the first power transmission path andthe second power transmission path can be appropriately employed.

Further, in the power transmission method described above, thepredetermined process device may include a first output terminal and asecond output terminal having different output voltages, the secondpower transmission path may include two discontinuous power transmissionpaths, and when the predetermined process device is attached in thesecond step, the first output terminal may come into contact with one ofthe two discontinuous power transmission paths, and the second outputterminal may come into contact with the other of the two discontinuouspower transmission paths. By employing such a configuration, two typesof signals having different electrical characteristics can be easilyoutput to each of two discontinuous power transmission paths included inthe second power transmission path by retrofitting a predeterminedprocess device.

A signal for supplying power and a signal for transmitting informationcan be transmitted suitably.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a powersupply system;

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a circuit configurationin the power supply system illustrated in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3A is a first diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of abus component forming a direct current (DC) bus;

FIG. 3B is a second diagram illustrating a schematic configuration ofthe bus component forming the DC bus;

FIG. 3C is a third diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of thebus component forming the DC bus;

FIG. 3D is a fourth diagram illustrating a schematic configuration ofthe bus component forming the DC bus;

FIG. 3E is a fifth diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of thebus component forming the DC bus;

FIG. 3F is a sixth diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of thebus component forming the DC bus;

FIG. 3G is a seventh diagram illustrating a schematic configuration ofthe bus component forming the DC bus;

FIG. 3H is an eighth diagram illustrating a schematic configuration ofthe bus component forming the DC bus;

FIG. 3I is a ninth diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of thebus component forming the DC bus;

FIG. 4A is a first diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of aDC bus formed of bus components;

FIG. 4B is a second diagram illustrating a schematic configuration ofthe DC bus formed by the bus components;

FIG. 4C is a third diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of theDC bus formed by the bus components;

FIG. 4D is a fourth diagram illustrating a schematic configuration ofthe DC bus formed by the bus components;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of process of a method forforming a DC bus using bus components; and

FIG. 6 is a fifth diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of theDC bus formed by the bus components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be describedin detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same orcorresponding parts in the drawings are denoted by the same referencenumerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated. In thepresent disclosure, a driver that supplies drive power for driving amotor is shown as an exemplary form of a device including a powertransmission path that transmits a signal, but the technical idea of thepresent disclosure can also be applied to devices other than the driver.In the driver, a signal related to power is transmitted via the powertransmission path, that is, power supply (power feeding) is performed.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a powersupply system that supplies drive power to a motor and its peripheraldevices (such as a relay device). The power supply system includes aconverter 10, a driver 20, and a driver 30. The converter 10 receivesthe supply of alternating current (AC) power from an AC power supply 7via a power line 7 a and outputs DC power. The output DC power issupplied to the driver 20 and the driver 30 disposed adjacent to theconverter 10 through a DC bus. The DC bus is a power transmission paththrough which a signal related to power is transmitted, and a detailedconfiguration thereof will be described later.

The driver 20 performs servo control of a motor 2 based on a commandfrom a programmable logic controller (PLC) or the like (notillustrated). The controller of the driver 20 receives an operationcommand signal related to the operation (motion) of the motor 2 from thehost device via the network and a detection signal from an encodermounted on the motor 2, and calculates a command value related to theservo control for the drive of the motor 2. The driver 20 includes aninverter device therein, generates drive power for driving the motor 2from the DC bus in accordance with the calculated command value, andsupplies the drive power to the motor 2 via the power line 2 a. Thecontroller of the driver 20 is configured to control the motor 2 inaddition to the servo control. For example, the motor 2 is driven andcontrolled by the driver 20 in order to drive predetermined equipment.As an example, various mechanical devices (e.g., an arm of an industrialrobot or a conveyance device) can be exemplified as the equipment, andthe motor 2 is incorporated in the device as an actuator that drives theequipment. The motor 2 is an AC servomotor. Alternatively, the motor 2may be an induction motor or a DC motor. The motor 2 includes adetection disk that rotates in conjunction with rotation of each rotorand includes an encoder capable of detecting the rotation state of therotor.

The driver 30 also basically includes an inverter device that receivespower supply from the DC bus similarly to the driver 20, therebygenerating drive power of the motor 3 and supplying the drive power tothe motor 3 via a power line 3 a. Furthermore, the driver 30 isconfigured to be able to supply drive power of a relay device 4, whichis a drive device other than the motor 3, via a power line 4 a. Therelay device 4 is used for the purpose of performing a predeterminedswitching process or the like in the equipment in which the motors 2, 3are incorporated, and the drive voltages of the inverter devices thatgenerate the drive power of the motors 2, 3 are different from the drivevoltage of the relay device 4. For example, the former drive voltagescan be 350 V, and the latter drive voltage can be 24 V.

Here, an electrical configuration of the power supply system illustratedin FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 . In the powersupply system, the power supplied from the AC power supply 7 via thepower line 7 a is converted into DC power by the converter 10 and outputto a power transmission path 11 that is a DC bus. The voltage in thepower transmission path 11 is, for example, 350 V. Reference numeral 50in FIG. 2 denotes a configuration that includes the power transmissionpath 11 and outputs DC power to the driver 20 and the driver 30, and isreferred to as a “DC bus device 50” in the present application. Thelength of the power transmission path 11 in the DC bus device 50 isappropriately adjusted in accordance with the number of driversconnected to the power supply system. For example, when the number ofconnected drivers increases, a bus component (cf. FIG. 3A etc.) to bedescribed later is added to form the power transmission path 11 havingan appropriate length.

Further, in the DC bus device 50, a DC-to-DC converter (hereinaftersimply referred to as a “converter”) 15, which receives the DC power ofthe power transmission path 11 and performs a predetermined voltageconversion process of converting the input voltage into a desired DCvoltage, is disposed between the power transmission path 11 and a powertransmission path 12. The converter 15 is configured to be attachable tothe previously formed power transmission paths 11, 12 later, and detailsof this point will be described later. The output terminal of theconverter 15 is connected to the power transmission path 12, and theoutput voltage converted by the converter 15 is applied to the powertransmission path 12. In the embodiment, the output voltage of theconverter 10 is 350 V, which is applied to the power transmission path11 and input to the converter 15. Furthermore, the output voltage of theconverter 15 is 24 V, which is applied to the power transmission path12. The relay device 4 is connected to the power transmission path 12via the power line 4 a, and the voltage of the power transmission path12 is applied to the relay device 4.

The driver 20 and the driver 30 are connected to the DC bus device 50and are each supplied with the DC power of the power transmission path11. Here, the configuration of the internal circuit of the driver 20, inparticular, an input unit 200 to which DC power from the powertransmission path 11 is input by connection with the DC bus device 50,will be described. The input unit 200 is a portion to which DC powerfrom the outside is input in the driver 20, and the DC power input tothe input unit 200 is supplied to an inverter 26 located on thedownstream side. The inverter 26 itself is based on a known technique,and hence a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the input unit 200, a resistor 22 and a relay 23, which constitute aprevention circuit for preventing an inrush current from flowing fromthe power transmission path 11 of the DC bus device 50 into the inputunit 200, are provided on a positive-side path of a power supply path21. In the prevention circuit, the resistor 22 and the relay 23 areconnected in parallel. In a state where the relay 23 is off, a currentflowing through the positive-side path passes through the resistor 22,and in a state where the relay 23 is on, a current flows so as to bypassthe resistor 22. More specifically, the relay 23 is in an off state atan initial timing when power is supplied from the DC bus device 50, anda current flows through the resistor 22 on the positive-side path,thereby reducing the peak value of the inrush current. Then, the relay23 is turned on when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start ofthe power supply. This can avoid the resistor 22 from consuming powersupplied from the DC bus device 50. Alternatively, a positivetemperature coefficient (PTC) can be used instead of the resistor 22,and a semiconductor switch element can be used instead of the relay 23.The same applies to a resistor 22 a and a relay 23 a to be describedlater.

In addition, a capacitor 25 is disposed between the positive path andthe negative path in the input unit 200. The capacitor 25 is disposed tohold the voltage fluctuation of the power supply path 21 within anallowable range. It is also possible to store regenerative power fromthe motor 2 driven by the driver 20. A discharge circuit 24 fordischarging the power stored in the capacitor 25 is connected betweenthe positive-side path and the negative-side path of the power supplypath 21. The discharge circuit 24 includes a resistor for powerconsumption and a switch circuit for control of voltage application tothe resistor, but the configuration itself is based on a knowntechnique, and hence a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Furthermore, the driver 30 also includes an input unit 300 having aconfiguration substantially similar to that of the driver 20, in which aprevention circuit having a resistor 32 and a relay 33, a dischargecircuit 34, and a capacitor 35 are provided on a positive-side path of apower supply path 31. The connection method of the prior art can beappropriately employed for the connection of each of the power supplypath 21 of the driver 20 and the power supply path 31 of the driver 30to the power transmission path 11 of the DC bus device 50. The driver 30includes an inverter 36.

Next, the construction of the power transmission path 11 and the powertransmission path 12 in the DC bus device 50 will be described withreference to FIGS. 3A to 31 and FIGS. 4A to 4D. FIGS. 3A to 31 eachillustrate a schematic configuration of a power transmission path in theDC bus device, that is, a bus component forming the DC bus, and FIGS. 4Ato 4D illustrate a schematic configuration of a power transmission pathformed by connecting the bus components illustrated in the respectivedrawings. First, the bus component will be described.

<First Form>

A bus component 100 according to a first form will be described withreference to FIG. 3A. The bus component 100 illustrated in FIG. 3A is acomponent configured to form the power transmission path 11 and thepower transmission path 12 in the DC bus device 50 by being coupled toanother bus component 100. The bus component 100 includes a base member101 having a substantially rectangular shape in a front view illustratedin FIG. 3A, and edges 104, 105 corresponding to the left and right sidesof the base member 101 correspond to edges that come into contact whenthe bus components 100 are coupled to each other. That is, the buscomponents 100 are coupled such that the left edge 104 of another buscomponent 100 is in contact with the right edge of one bus component100, and the coupling is repeated any number of times, whereby the powertransmission paths 11, 12 having a desired length can be formed.

Specifically, the base member 101 is formed of an insulating member, anda pair of energization paths 102 and a pair of energization paths 103,which are each formed of a linear metal member so as to be partiallyexposed on the surface of the base member 101, are embedded. In a firstregion L1 of the upper half of the base member 101, two energizationpaths 102 extending from the edge 104 to the edge 105 are disposed. In asecond region L2 of the lower half of the base member 101, twoenergization paths 103 extending from the edge 104 to the edge 105 aredisposed. The energization paths 102, 103 are parallel to each other,the respective ends thereof are exposed at the edge 104, and therespective ends thereof are also exposed at the edge 105. Protrusions102 a, 103 a are provided near the ends on the edge 104 side of therespective energization paths 102, 103, and recesses 102 b, 103 b areprovided near the ends on the edge 105 side of the respectiveenergization paths 102, 103. The sizes of the recesses 102 b, 103 b aresuch that the protrusions 102 a, 103 a are fitted suitably.

Therefore, when the two bus components 100 are coupled, the protrusions102 a, 103 a of the one bus component 100 are fitted into the recesses102 b, 103 b of another bus component 100, so that the one edge 104comes into contact with the other edge 105. Thus, the respective ends ofthe energization paths 102, 103 in the one bus component 100 come intocontact with the respective ends of the energization paths 102, 103 inanother bus component 100, forming an electrically continuousenergization path, that is, a power transmission path (a DC bus or apart of the DC bus). By sequentially coupling the bus components 100,the length of the power transmission path can be arbitrarily adjusted bythe continuous energization paths 102, 103. In addition, a known fixingmethod (snap-type or screw-type fixing method) can be employed to stablymaintain the coupling state of the two bus components.

Regarding the coupling of the bus components 100, the same type of buscomponents need not necessarily be coupled, and the coupling may beperformed by appropriately combining the bus components 100 to bedescribed later in FIGS. 3B to 31 and bus components that are notdisclosed in the present application but can be conceived by a personskilled in the art based on the present disclosure so as to finallyrealize the necessary shape and size of the power transmission path.

<Second Form>

A bus component 100 according to a second form will be described withreference to FIG. 3B. Since the display mode of the bus component 100 inFIG. 3B is the same as the display mode of the bus component 100 in FIG.3A and the like described above, elements having substantially the sameconfiguration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a detaileddescription thereof will be omitted.

Specifically, in the present form, the pair of energization paths 102extending from the edge 104 to the edge 105 are disposed in the firstregion L1 of the upper half of the base member 101, but the energizationpath 103 is not formed in the second region L2 of the lower half of thebase member 101. That is, when the bus component 100 of the present formis coupled to another bus component, the energization path can beextended only on the first region L1 side of the upper half of the basemember 101.

<Third Form>

A bus component 100 according to a third form will be described withreference to FIG. 3C. Since the display mode of the bus component 100 inFIG. 3C is the same as the display mode of the bus component 100 in FIG.3A and the like described above, elements having substantially the sameconfiguration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a detaileddescription thereof will be omitted.

Specifically, in the present form, the pair of energization paths 103extending from the edge 104 to the edge 105 are disposed in the secondregion L2 of the lower half of the base member 101, but the energizationpath 102 is not formed in the first region L1 of the upper half of thebase member 101. That is, when the bus component 100 of the present formis coupled to another bus component, the energization path can beextended only on the second region L2 side of the lower half of the basemember 101.

<Fourth Form>

A bus component 100 according to a fourth form will be described withreference to FIG. 3D. Since the display mode of the bus component 100 inFIG. 3D is the same as the display mode of the bus component 100 in FIG.3A and the like described above, elements having substantially the sameconfiguration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a detaileddescription thereof will be omitted.

Specifically, the present form is a modification of the form illustratedin FIG. 3B. That is, in the form where the energization path 103 is notformed in the second region L2, and the pair of energization paths 102are formed in the first region L1 in the base member 101, theenergization path 102 is divided at the center in the width direction(the left-right direction in the drawing is the width direction) of thebase member 101, and a right-side energization path 102R and a left-sideenergization path 102L are formed. Thus, the right-side energizationpath 102R and the left-side energization path 102L are not directlyelectrically connected. Alternatively, in the form where theenergization path is not formed in the first region L1, and theenergization path 103 is formed in the second region L2 in the basemember 101, the energization path 103 may be divided at the center inthe width direction of the base member 101, and a right-sideenergization path and a left-side energization path may be formed.

<Fifth Form>

A bus component 100 of a fifth form will be described with reference toFIG. 3E. Since the display mode of the bus component 100 in FIG. 3E isthe same as the display mode of the bus component 100 in FIG. 3A and thelike described above, elements having substantially the sameconfiguration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a detaileddescription thereof will be omitted.

Specifically, the present form is a modification of the form illustratedin FIG. 3A. That is, in the form where the pair of energization paths102 is formed in the first region L1 and the pair of energization paths103 is formed in the second region L2 in the base member 101, theenergization path 102 is divided at the center in the width direction ofthe base member 101, the right-side energization path 102R and theleft-side energization path 102L are formed, the energization path 103is divided at the center in the width direction of the base member 101,and the right-side energization path 103R and the left-side energizationpath 103L are formed. Therefore, the right-side energization path 102Rand the left-side energization path 102L are not directly electricallyconnected, and the right-side energization path 103R and the left-sideenergization path 103L are not directly electrically connected.

<Sixth Form>

A bus component 100 according to a sixth form will be described withreference to FIG. 3F. Since the display mode of the bus component 100 inFIG. 3F is the same as the display mode of the bus component 100 in FIG.3A and the like described above, elements having substantially the sameconfiguration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a detaileddescription thereof will be omitted.

Specifically, the present form is a modification of the form illustratedin FIG. 3A. That is, in the form where the pair of energization paths102 are formed in the first region L1, and the pair of energizationpaths 103 are formed in the second region L2 in the base member 101, theenergization path 103 is divided at the center in the width direction ofthe base member 101, and a right-side energization path 103R and aleft-side energization path 103L are formed. Therefore, the right-sideenergization path 103R and the left-side energization path 103L are notdirectly electrically connected. Alternatively, in the form where theenergization path 102 is formed in the first region L1, and theenergization path 103 is formed in the second region L2 in the basemember 101, the energization path 102 may be divided at the center inthe width direction of the base member 101, and a right-sideenergization path and a left-side energization path may be formed.

<Seventh Form>

A bus component 100 according to a seventh form will be described withreference to FIG. 3G. Since the display mode of the bus component 100 inFIG. 3G is the same as the display mode of the bus component 100 in FIG.3A and the like described above, elements having substantially the sameconfiguration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a detaileddescription thereof will be omitted.

Specifically, in the present form, a pair of energization paths 112 areformed so as to straddle the first region L1 and the second region L2 inthe base member 101. That is, the energization path 112 is a pathconnecting the left side of the first region L1 and the right side ofthe second region L2 in the base member 101 and is for switching betweenenergization in the first region L1 and energization on the secondregion L2 side. Alternatively, the energization path 112 may be formedso as to connect the right side of the first region L1 and the left sideof the second region in the base member 101.

<Eighth Form>

A bus component 100 of an eighth form will be described with referenceto FIG. 3H. Since the display mode of the bus component 100 in FIG. 3His the same as the display mode of the bus component 100 in FIG. 3A andthe like described above, elements having substantially the sameconfiguration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a detaileddescription thereof will be omitted.

Specifically, in the present form, a pair of energization paths 113 areformed in the base member 101. The energization path 113 is formed suchthat with reference to the edge 104 of the base member 101, anenergization path extending from the edge 104 toward the edge 105branches into the first region L1 side and the second region L2 side inthe middle of the width direction of the base member 101. In FIG. 3H,one of the pair of energization paths 113 is indicated by a broken lineto make the drawing easier to understand. Alternatively, theenergization path 113 may be formed such that with reference to the edge104 of the base member 101, an energization path extending from the edge105 toward the edge 105 branches into the first region L1 side and thesecond region L2 side in the middle of the width direction of the basemember 101.

<Ninth Form>

A bus component 100 according to a ninth form will be described withreference to FIG. 3I. Since the display mode of the bus component 100 inFIG. is the same as the display mode of the bus component 100 in FIG. 3Aand the like described above, elements having substantially the sameconfiguration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a detaileddescription thereof will be omitted.

Specifically, in the present form, a pair of energization paths 112 (cf.FIG. 3G) and a pair of energization paths 114 are formed in the basemember 101. As described in the eighth form, the energization path 114is an energization path formed to connect the right side of the firstregion L1 and the left side of the second region in the base member 101.In the present form as well, the pair of energization paths 114 areindicated by broken lines to make the drawing easier to understand.

<Formation of Power Transmission Path>

Next, the formation of a power transmission path using the buscomponents illustrated in FIGS. 3A to 31 will be described withreference to FIGS. 4A to 4D. FIG. 4A illustrates two types of powertransmission paths to which different DC voltages are applied. Forexample, as in the DC bus device 50 in FIG. 2 , a power transmissionpath to which a high voltage (e.g., 350 V) is applied is disposed on theupper side, and a power transmission path to which a low voltage (e.g.,24 V) is applied is disposed on the lower side. In order to form such apower transmission path, the bus components 100 illustrated in FIG. 3Aare coupled continuously. In the form illustrated in FIG. 4A, bycoupling five bus components illustrated in FIG. 3A corresponding torespective regions Z1 to Z5, the energization paths 102, 103 of the buscomponents 100 are electrically continuous, and finally, one continuouspower transmission path can be formed as illustrated in FIG. 4A. When itis desired to adjust the length of the power transmission path, it issufficient that the number of bus components 100 to be coupled isadjusted.

Next, in FIG. 4B, power transmission paths are formed on the upper sideand the lower side as in FIG. 4A, but each of the power transmissionpaths on the lower side is divided into a left region L21 and a rightregion L22. For example, a power transmission path to which a highvoltage (e.g., 350 V) is applied can be disposed in an upper region L1,a power transmission path to which a low voltage (e.g., 24 V) is appliedcan be disposed in the lower and left region L21, and a powertransmission path to which a lower voltage (e.g., 12 V) is applied canbe disposed in the lower and right region L22. The voltages applied tothe left region L21 and the right region L22 may be the same. Anadvantage of such power transmission paths is that a plurality of typesof power supply voltages can be compactly prepared, and drive power canbe easily supplied to a drive device such as a motor. In order to formthe power transmission paths of such shapes, the bus component 100illustrated in FIG. 3A is prepared as the bus component 100corresponding to each of the regions Z1 to Z2 and Z4 to Z5, and the buscomponent 100 illustrated in FIG. 3B is further prepared as the buscomponent 100 corresponding to the region Z3. Then, when the buscomponents 100 are coupled in the order of the regions, the energizationpaths 102, 103 of the bus components are electrically coupled to formthe power transmission paths illustrated in FIG. 4B.

Next, in FIG. 4C, the power transmission paths are formed on the upperside and the lower side as in FIG. 4B, but the power transmission pathis formed over the regions Z1 to Z5 in the power transmission path inthe upper region L1, and the power transmission path is not formed inthe regions Z1 and Z2 but is formed in the regions Z3 to Z5 in the powertransmission path in the lower region L2. The power transmission pathssubstantially coincide with the power transmission paths 11, 12illustrated in FIG. 2 . That is, the power transmission path in thefirst region L1 corresponds to the power transmission path 11, and thepower transmission path in the second region L2 corresponds to the powertransmission path 12. Here, a method for forming the power transmissionpaths of such shapes will be described with reference to a flowchartillustrated in FIG. 5 . First, in S101, the bus component 100illustrated in FIG. 3B is prepared as the bus component 100corresponding to each of the regions Z1 to Z2, and the bus component 100illustrated in FIG. 3A is further prepared as the bus component 100corresponding to each of the regions Z3 to Z5. Then, the bus components100 may be coupled in the order of the regions. At this time, the buscomponents 100 are arranged on a plane such that the edges 104, 105 ofadjacent components are in contact with each other.

Then, in S102, the converter (voltage conversion device) 15 is attachedto the power transmission path constructed in S101. As described above,the converter 15 is a DC-to-DC converter, and the power transmissionpath in the first region L1 is an input side, and the power transmissionpath in the second region L2 is an output side. That is, the converter15 performs a voltage conversion process of converting the appliedvoltage (e.g., 350 V) of the power transmission path in the first regionL1 into a desired voltage (e.g., 24 V) and applies the voltage to thepower transmission path in the second region L2. At this time, in S102,the converter 15 is attached so as to straddle the power transmissionpath in the first region L1 and the power transmission path in thesecond region L2 formed in S101 such that an input-side terminal 16 ofthe converter 15 is in contact with the power transmission path in thefirst region L1 and an output-side terminal 17 is in contact with thepower transmission path in the second region L2. This enables input tothe converter 15 and output from the converter 15. For retrofitting thepredetermined process device, it is preferable to use a known fixingtechnique (e.g., snap-type fixing method, screw fixing method, etc.) inorder to stably maintain the contact of the input terminal and theoutput terminal with the respective power transmission paths.

Then, in S103, for example, the converter 10 is driven to supply powerto the power transmission path in the first region L1, and the appliedvoltage is set to 350 V. Then, the power after the voltage conversion to24 V is output to the power transmission path in the second region L2 bythe voltage conversion process of converter 15. Thereby, the appliedvoltage of the power transmission path on the second region L2 side canbe set to 24 V. The power transmission path is connected to, forexample, the relay device 4 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and cansuitably supply power to the relay device 4.

By constructing the power transmission path by the method illustrated inFIG. 5 and attaching the converter 15 after the construction of thepower transmission path as described above, it is possible to easilybring the power transmission path in the second region L2 into a statewhere a desired voltage is applied. The converter 15 is, so to speak,retrofitted to the power transmission path, so that the mountingposition and the like can be relatively adjusted. The power transmissionpath itself can also be adjusted to any length and shape by combining(coupling) the bus components 100, and further, the position of theconverter 15 can also be adjusted with a high degree of freedom, so thatthe DC bus device 50 can be easily formed, user convenience is improved,and the DC bus device 50 can be made compact.

Next, in FIG. 4D, as in FIG. 4B, the power transmission paths are formedon the upper side and the lower side, respectively, but for the powertransmission path on the lower side, a divided power transmission pathis formed in the region Z3. In order to form the power transmissionpaths of such shapes, the bus component 100 illustrated in FIG. 3A isprepared as the bus component 100 corresponding to each of the regionsZ1 to Z2 and Z4 to Z5, and the bus component 100 illustrated in FIG. 3Fis further prepared as the bus component 100 corresponding to the regionZ3. Then, when the bus components 100 are coupled in the order of theregions, the energization paths 102, 103 of the bus components areelectrically coupled to form the power transmission paths illustrated inFIG. 4D. In the power transmission paths of FIG. 4D, in particular, thepower transmission paths in the lower second regions L21, L22 areelectrically discontinuous between the regions Z1 to Z2 and the regionsZ4 to Z5.

To such power transmission paths, a converter 150 is retrofitted to theposition of the region Z3. Similarly to the converter 15, the converter150 is a DC-to-DC converter, and the terminal 16 on the input side is incontact with the power transmission path in the first region L1. Theconverter 150 includes two voltage conversion circuits therein and isconfigured to be able to convert a voltage input from the terminal 16into two different voltages (e.g., 24 V and 12 V) and output the twodifferent voltages. Of two terminals on the output side of the converter150, a terminal 171 is in contact with the power transmission path onthe left region L21 (mainly corresponding to the regions Z1 and Z2) inthe second region, and the remaining terminal 172 is in contact with thepower transmission path on the right region L22 in the second region(mainly corresponding to the regions Z4 and Z5). Note that theretrofitting of the converter 150 is as described with reference toFIGS. 4C and 5 .

By employing such a configuration, the applied voltage of the powertransmission path in the region L21 can be set to 24 V, and the appliedvoltage of the power transmission path in the region L22 can be set to12 V by the retrofitting operation of the converter 150, thusfacilitating the construction of the power transmission paths havingdifferent voltages.

<Modification of Formation of Power Transmission Path>

Next, a modification of the formation of the power transmission pathusing the bus components illustrated in FIGS. 3A to 31 will be describedwith reference to FIG. 6 . In the form illustrated in FIG. 6 , buscomponents are denoted by reference numerals 200 and 300. Anenergization path 201 is formed in the bus component 200. Theconfigurations of the bus component and the energization path 201conform to the configurations illustrated in FIG. 3A and the like.Adjacent bus components 200 are coupled such that the edges thereof arein contact with each other, whereby an upper power transmission path 250is formed by the continuous energization paths 201. Similarly, anenergization path 301 is formed in a bus component 300, and the adjacentbus components 300 are coupled such that the edges thereof are incontact with each other, whereby a lower power transmission path 350 isformed by the continuous energization paths 301. In the form illustratedin FIG. 6 , five bus components 200, 300 are arranged in a line on aplane.

Then, a converter 400 is retrofitted so as to be sandwiched between theupper power transmission path 250 and the lower power transmission path350. Similarly to the converter 15, the converter 400 is a DC-to-DCconverter, and an input terminal 401 thereof is in contact with theupper power transmission path 250. Similarly to the converter 15, theconverter 400 includes one voltage conversion circuit therein and isconfigured to be able to output the voltage input from the terminal 401to a terminal 402. The output-side terminal of the converter 400 is incontact with the lower power transmission path 350. Note that theretrofitting of the converter 450 is as described with reference toFIGS. 4C and 5 .

For example, when a voltage of 350 V is applied to the upper powertransmission path 250 by the converter 10 or the like, and the converter400 is configured to be capable of executing a voltage conversionprocess from 350 V to 24 V, a voltage of 24 V is applied to the lowerpower transmission path 350. In this way, by retrofitting the converter400 between the two power transmission paths, the DC bus device can bethree-dimensionally constructed as compared with the forms illustratedin FIGS. 4C and 4D.

Further Modification

In the embodiment described above, the power transmission path is formedas a path for transmitting a signal related to electric power, butinstead of the embodiment, the power transmission path may be formed asa path for transmitting a signal related to information (data). Even insuch a case, a power transmission path for information transmissionhaving a desired length and shape can be formed by coupling the buscomponents and the like illustrated in FIGS. 3A to 31 . In such a powertransmission path for information transmission, an amplifier device orthe like that performs a predetermined process (e.g., signalamplification process, etc.) on a transmitted signal may be attached tothe power transmission path later, instead of the converter 15 or thelike.

<Appendix 1>

A method for transmitting a signal to a power transmission path, themethod including:

a first step (S101) of disposing a first power transmission path (11)and a second power transmission path (12);

a second step (S102) of attaching a predetermined process device (15),being detachable, between the first power transmission path (11) and thesecond power transmission path (12) such that an input terminal (16) ofthe predetermined process device (15) is in contact with the first powertransmission path (11) and that an output terminal (17) of thepredetermined process device (15) is in contact with the second powertransmission path (12); and

a third step (S103) of supplying an input signal to the first powertransmission path (11) and outputting, to the second power transmissionpath (12), an output signal obtained by the predetermined process device(15) performing a predetermined process on the input signal.

1. A method for transmitting a signal to a power transmission path, themethod comprising: a first step of disposing a first power transmissionpath and a second power transmission path; a second step of attaching apredetermined process device, being detachable, between the first powertransmission path and the second power transmission path such that aninput terminal of the predetermined process device is in contact withthe first power transmission path and that an output terminal of thepredetermined process device is in contact with the second powertransmission path; and a third step of supplying an input signal to thefirst power transmission path and outputting, to the second powertransmission path, an output signal obtained by performing apredetermined process on the input signal by the predetermined processdevice.
 2. The method of power transmission according to claim 1,wherein the predetermined process device is configured to perform avoltage conversion process as the predetermined process on a signalinput to the input terminal, and in the third step, the voltageconversion process is performed on the input signal, supplied to thefirst power transmission path, by the predetermined process device, andthe voltage of the second power transmission path is adjusted to apredetermined voltage using the output signal.
 3. The method of powertransmission according to claim 1, wherein in the first step, the firstpower transmission path and the second power transmission path aredisposed on the same plane, and in the second step, the predeterminedprocess device is attached so as to straddle the first powertransmission path and the second power transmission path.
 4. The methodof power transmission according to claim 1, wherein in the first step,the first power transmission path and the second power transmission pathare disposed on different planes, and in the second step, thepredetermined process device is attached so as to be sandwiched betweenthe first power transmission path and the second power transmissionpath.
 5. The method of power transmission according to claim 1, whereinthe predetermined process device includes a first output terminal and asecond output terminal having different output voltages, the secondpower transmission path includes two discontinuous power transmissionpaths, and when the predetermined process device is attached in thesecond step, the first output terminal comes into contact with one ofthe two discontinuous power transmission paths, and the second outputterminal comes into contact with the other of the two discontinuouspower transmission paths.
 6. The method of power transmission accordingto claim 1, wherein in the first step, a plurality of bus components areprepared, the bus components each including a base member, and a firstenergization path and a second energization path that are formed toextend from one edge to the other edge of a set of opposing edges of thebase member, and an edge of one of the bus components is brought intocontact with an edge of another of the bus components to couple both ofthe bus components to each other, and the first energization path andthe second energization path in one of the bus components and the firstenergization path and the second energization path in the another buscomponents are connected to form the first power transmission path andthe second power transmission path.